Grave of the fireflies

Memnoch

Is this the best film ever made?

I've seen a lot of films in my time, a lot of anime's and TV shoes. Never, ever have I been so thoroughly and profoundly affected by anything I've seen.

I'm wondering if it's had a similar effect on other people who've seen it?

johnny_ultimate

Very good film, but still prefer some of the other Ghibli's (Totoro, Pom Poko, Spirited Away). Thats just going by their very high standards though: GotF is still a fantastic film. Wartime dramas are one genre I often dislike for some reason, but GotF adds a fresh spin to it (litreally in one truly bizarre sequence) and is a touching human story. Wouldn't say it is the best film ever made, but possibly one of the best war films ever made.

Memnoch

The wierd thing is, I didn't see it as a war film. To me it was a commentary on the human condition and the daily suffering around us. The war was just one of many possible backdrops. It could just as easily have been a film about a couple of kids in modern day Africa.

Dont be at yourself

I studied this when I was in college, and it didn't really strike a chord with me. I have only ever seen it in Japanese without subtitles though, so undoubtedly much was lost in translation.

I suppose this is one to revisit with a sober mind (and subtitles!), but I've found time and again that Ghibli's output, and most anime in general, does very little for me. They're obviously very well put together films, and there is obviously a huge amount of talent behind them, yet they just don't sit right with me. My loss, I guess.

User45701

i didnt think it was that great, it was good and all but not the greatest movie ever, not even top 100. The film lacked emotion, it just didnt feel real enough

0ubliette

User45701 wrote: »

i didnt think it was that great, it was good and all but not the greatest movie ever, not even top 100. The film lacked emotion, it just didnt feel real enough

there honestly arent even enough facepalms there.

User45701

really? i do hear allot of good thinga about it but i dont know perhaps it was the company i watched it with, is this movie better watched alone?

Memnoch

User45701 wrote: »

really? i do hear allot of good thinga about it but i dont know perhaps it was the company i watched it with, is this movie better watched alone?

Lacked emotion? Not real? You must be joking....

Go to imdb and read some of the reviews.

I don't think I've ever felt more emotion or realism from any other movie I've ever seen.

jayteecork

Very good movie, have it on DVD that I bought off eBay a few years ago when I went through a phase of buying all Ghibli's stuff.

Don't think I could watch it again, mind you.

Psychedelic

Just wondering which version of this film should I watch, the original with subtitles or the dubbed English version? I had a quick listen to some of the dub and it sounded okay but I'd hate to see an important scene ruined with lame dubbing. On the other hand, for the original I'd have to read subtitles instead, but would the Japanese voice acting still come across better than the dubbed English?

johnny_ultimate

Psychedelic wrote: »

But would the Japanese voice acting still come across better than the dubbed English?

The Japanese voice acting always comes across better, even if the Ghibli dubs are probably the best around (i.e. best of a bad bunch).

Psychedelic

Thanks, that's good to know as I was going to ask the same question about Spirited Away which I also haven't seen yet.

johnny_ultimate

I actually must rewatch Grave... very soon. Haven't seen it since a few years before this old thread! I just don't have quite as fond memories of it as my favourite Ghibli films, but really think it deserves another go ASAP!

Mickeroo

Remember it being hard going, but in a good way. I just wasn't expecting it to be so harrowing, probably because its animated. Great film although I wouldn't place it ahead the best of Miyazaki's stuff.

Cardinal Richelieu

There is a Live Action version too, more of a made for TV film.

Squelchy

jayteecork wrote: »

Very good movie,

Don't think I could watch it again, mind you.

This /\

Sindri

I think it's fantastic. One of the best war movies ever.

madfred

Went to see this yesterday having heard quite a lot of good things about it but it didn't do anything for me at all. I knew the basic gist of it before going in, and was told how sad/depressing it was, but it had zero effect on me. Maybe I'm just a heartless bastard.

From what I've heard this is up there with the top anime films but the only other two I've seen is 5 Centimeters Per Second and Barefoot Gen, and I'd only return to the latter. Spirited Away is on my list but would welcome any other top anime suggestions.

johnny_ultimate

madfred wrote: »

Went to see this yesterday having heard quite a lot of good things about it but it didn't do anything for me at all. I knew the basic gist of it before going in, and was told how sad/depressing it was, but it had zero effect on me. Maybe I'm just a heartless bastard.

From what I've heard this is up there with the top anime films but the only other two I've seen is 5 Centimeters Per Second and Barefoot Gen, and I'd only return to the latter. Spirited Away is on my list but would welcome any other top anime suggestions.

There's a thread here which should give you some general recommendations, but a few to get you started:

My Neighbour Totoro / Spirited Away / Princess Mononoke - the three definitive Hayao Miyazaki films IMO.
Summer Wars / Wolf Children - the two best animated films of recent years, anime or otherwise, are brilliant, genre-busting and absolutely charming films from Mamoru Hosoda.
Millennium Actress / Perfect Blue, although all of the films from the late, great Satoshi Kon are worth a gander. Such a shame he passed way so young and tragically, as he was one of the most diverse, distinctive & experimental of animators out there.
Akira, the film that basically introduced anime to the West, and remains a stunning achievement in hard, provocative sci-fi.

Tar.Aldarion

Great film, very saddening, there were people crying when I was watching it in the IFI recently. I would rate it above the likes of Totoro especially for emotional impact. It and wolf children are two films I have seen recently that were just fantastic. Other films like spirited away and princess mononoke are certainly good fantastical stories, enchanting tales but they don't have the impact it had imo. I'd certainly prefer to sit around watching them, but not because I think they are better films.

This is one of two movies I refuse to watch, because I love not being a blubbering mess - the second being "Dear Zachary". Maybe someday ...

conorhal

madfred wrote: »

Went to see this yesterday having heard quite a lot of good things about it but it didn't do anything for me at all. I knew the basic gist of it before going in, and was told how sad/depressing it was, but it had zero effect on me. Maybe I'm just a heartless bastard.

From what I've heard this is up there with the top anime films but the only other two I've seen is 5 Centimeters Per Second and Barefoot Gen, and I'd only return to the latter. Spirited Away is on my list but would welcome any other top anime suggestions.

Naaa, it didn't resonate with me either, and I'm a sucker for blubbing at this kind of fare, the very similarly themed Empire of the Sun however is a brilliant adaption of J G Ballard's novel of the same name and always leaves me in a heap. Spirited Away is easily Studio Ghibli's best film by a country mile and well worth a watch.